SettledInHeaven.org

Social Sites With SIH Pages

15) Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well.16) Let thy fountains be dispersed abroad, [and] rivers of waters in the streets.17) Let them be only thine own, and not strangers’ with thee.18) Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth.19) [Let her be as] the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love.

INTRODUCTION:

In this section, he will give proverbs that emphasize contentment as a means of gaining victory over the many temptations this world has to offer. Solomon uses pictures of thirst and the desire for physical intimate relations to represent our unfulfilled desires…

EXPOSITION:

15) Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well.
Many times temptations appear when we have an unsatisfied desire in our lives. In this case, Solomon uses the picture of thirst as a symbolic representation of any unfulfilled longing may be experiencing. In doing so he relates to us four basic principles concerning contentment and overcoming temptations:

#1 Anyone who has unfulfilled desires should look to that which is lawfully theirs to fulfill that desire. They should not use sinful pursuits to fulfill their cravings. He will supply our needs and fulfill our desires.

“And they thirsted not [when] he led them through the deserts: he caused the waters to flow out of the rock for them: he clave the rock also, and the waters gushed out.[There is] no peace, saith the LORD, unto the wicked.” (Isaiah 48:21-22)

16) Let thy fountains be dispersed abroad, [and] rivers of waters in the streets.
#2 Once the Lord blesses by fulfilling the desire, those who were in need should share the blessing with others. This should be done out of love and sacrifice to those who are yet in need.

How can we help others in need? By sharing of the material blessings the Lord has given to us and sharing our experiences with them, showing the proper way to find fulfillment for their longings. Many times, the very blessing that the Lord gives to us to meet our need, is meant to be shared with others to meet their need as well.

“Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth.” (Ecclesiastes 11:1-2)

17) Let them be only thine own, and not strangers’ with thee.
#3 When we seek to be a blessing to others, we need to be sure we give to them what is ours to give.

There is no justification for unlawfully taking from one man in order to give to another. Our helping is to be an act of self-sacrifice motivated by love, not an unlawful act bringing harm to others through an exercise of our power or authority.

“He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise.” (Luke 3:11)

18) Let thy fountain be blessed:
#4 By using the divine supplies we have been given in the proper way (helping others), we will those supplies will be blessed of God and multiplied.

As we help others, we can never out give the Lord, nor will He fail to meet our every need. Let’s never allow selfishness to stop us from helping others. As Charles Stanley has said many times…. “Be faithful to the Lord and leave all the consequences to Him.”

“He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor; his righteousness endureth for ever; his horn shall be exalted with honour.” (Psalms 112:9)

“But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak.For God [is] not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end:” (Hebrews 6:9-11)

and rejoice with the wife of thy youth.
Solomon now uses the picture of physical intimacy as a symbolic representation of any unfulfilled desires we may be experiencing. Just like using the blessing of a fountain of water in the proper way, so too, we are to enjoy and treat our spouses properly as well. This includes finding intimate satisfaction with them alone.

Again, just as in the above verses, we will see he emphasizes the need to find joy and fulfillment with that of which we can lawfully partake.

“Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity, which he hath given thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity: for that [is] thy portion in [this] life, and in thy labour which thou takest under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 9:9)

19) [Let her be as] the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love.
Finding genuine, complete contentment in the blessings of God involves:
#1 Seeing His blessings as beautiful and desirable. In other words, the need to recognize the blessings and appreciate them, not taking them lightly.
#2 Using His blessings in the way they were meant to be used. We are to seek His will on how to use His blessings faithfully and act to fulfill that will.
#3 To become totally immersed in the appreciation and enjoyment of His blessings. In other words, be so consumed with the grace, love and kindness He has shown to us, that we experiences complete contentment in His blessings, thereby allowing no temptation to gain a foothold in our life.

“[Oh] how great [is] thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; [which] thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men!Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.Blessed [be] the LORD: for he hath shewed me his marvellous kindness in a strong city.” (Psalms 31:19-21)

SUMMARY:

Whether pictured by thirst or a desire for intimacy, when we find satisfaction and contentment for our desires in the blessings of God, then we will allow very little space for temptations to work in our lives. If we have no unfulfilled desires the ability for temptation to work in our life is greatly limited.

By God’s grace, let us all study these proverbs diligently, giving them the value that they deserve.

May the Lord bless us as we receive this sound wisdom and then “Think On These Things”.

Hi Rob! I may be a little off base with this comment, but it is what came to mind after reading your post. The Bible tells us to “flee temptation”, right? Well, how can a man flee temptation (when it comes to women) when women wear such immodest clothing. They wear low-cut blouses and dresses to show their “cleavage”, and the hem of their skirts are about even with the bottom of their bottoms. I have had women say “I dress modest, that’s why I wear pants, so nothing shows”. The problem with that is the pants are so tight every crease can be seen. How can man flee temptation when it encompasses him? He can’t walk around with his eyes closed.
This is why we must stay “prayed up” and ask God for strength to help us get passed the things that bombard us from EVERY direction.

The temptations that I face of course are not of “lust”, but are still just as drastic. I tend to have a problem with time management. Rather than spending time with God, I tend to spend it on e-mails, playing games, watching television and so forth. Unfortunately, just as there are no varying degrees of sin, (unless I’m wrong) there are no varying degrees of temptation. They ALL cause us to separate ourselves from God.

Well, there’s my “short novel” (is that called a novelette?”) LOL! God Bless you and your blog Rob! You help me so much!

PJ, I agree there are times when we are faced with temptations without the ability to really flee from them. I guess one of the keys is to avoid what we can and be prepared for the ones that we cannot avoid. How to be prepared?
1. Daily devotions that keep our mind on the Lord during the day.
2. An attitude of “pray without ceasing” having consistent communion with the Lord
3. An attitude of contentment with the blessings God has given to us…
4. Looking to the Lord for the grace and strength to overcome what we cannot avoid.

Your summary puts it so well, nothing else is needed . . .
“when we find satisfaction and contentment for our desires in the blessings of God, then we will allow very little space for temptations to work in our lives”